Poison Ivy's Revenge
by cassandra quail
Summary: When Harley turns up after yet another bust up with the Joker, Ivy decides she's going to take matters into her own hands. Fluffy in places. Slash. Rated T for mild descriptions of violence and sex. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

There was a loud knock on the door. Poison Ivy jumped, and dropped her watering can. She sighed as the water flowed out onto the floor, but the knocking didn't stop so she left it; her beloved plants would have to wait. Besides, the soft carpet of moss on the floor could probably use a drink.

"You there, Red?" came the voice of Harley Quinn, thick with tears.

Ivy opened the door, her heart heavy.

"What are you doing here at this time of night, Harl?" she asked, but she knew the answer. "It's nearly eleven o'clock!"

"He threw me out again," Harley sobbed. "And I ain't really got no one else, Red."

Ivy resisted the urge to say anything about "Mistah J" for the time being. She noticed Harley's make-up was smudged and crusted with blood. "Come on in... Let's get you cleaned up."

She took Harley's hand and led her gently through to the dining room.

"Wait here," said Ivy, and went to get her first aid kit from the bathroom. The first aid kit that in all honesty she only used to patch Harley up after nasty arguments with the Joker. Meanwhile Harley sat staring dejectedly at the table in front of her. Ivy closed the bathroom door carefully and made her way back to the kitchen. Harley flinched at the sound of the door closing and Ivy's heart broke a little.

"Here," said Ivy, sitting next to her friend and gently wiping the dried blood from her face. Her eyebrow was split, so Ivy applied strips of plaster to hold the wound together, inwardly fuming that anyone could do such a thing to Harley.

"What happened Harley? Looks like he hurt you badly this time," said Ivy. "I can't understand what you see in him." She knew that it wouldn't help, that nothing she said would change how Harley felt, but she couldn't control her bitter anger and hatred of the man.

"It's nothin'... It was my fault really," she said, wincing as the disinfectant stung the scratches on her face from the concrete floor. Her voice trembled. "Seems I can never do anythin' right – at least, as far as my Puddin' is concerned." Tears were streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks.

"Shh," said Ivy soothingly, as she had done countless times before. "Listen Harl, it's not your fault. It never is. It's _his_ fault for treating you like dirt." She lightly brushed away the wetness from Harley's cheeks. "I'll always be here for you."

"He – he's good to me really, Ivy," said Harley, trying to ignore the dull ache all over her body. "I'm sure he'll forgive me and be awful sorry for hurtin' me."

Ivy sighed. "He shouldn't have to be sorry for hurting you. He shouldn't hurt you in the first place."

"Aw, Red. Always lookin' out for me," said Harley, her head tilted as she smiled at her friend.

_If I was really looking out for you I'd kill that scumbag boyfriend of yours,_ thought Ivy, but she decided to change the subject. "Would you like a drink, Harley? There's some wine in the fridge."

"Sure thing," said Harley. "It's been quite a night. I could use somethin' to cheer me up, and who better to share a drink with than my best friend?"

Ivy returned her smile, somewhat wistfully as she thought about how things would be if the Joker was out of the picture. She fetched two glasses from the cupboard and a bottle of white wine from the fridge and set them down on the table. She poured the first glass and passed it to Harley, who immediately took a sizeable gulp. Ivy filled her own glass, but left it untouched for the time being.

"So, what do you wanna do tomorrow, Red?" asked Harley with a smile. "How's about we go shopping? Or... I think there's a funfair in town! We could go get candy floss and get dizzy on the rides – please can we go?"

Despite everything, Harley never lost her childlike sense of excitement. It both pleased and amazed Ivy.

"I'm sure those things would be fun, Harl, but don't you think it would be a good idea to lay low for a few days? You know how the Joker would react if he saw us together..."

Harley's face dropped. "Aw, you're no fun," she pouted, mostly in jest. "I'm sure we won't run into Mistah J. He's probably too busy with his next genius scheme to get Batman."

"You can't imagine the Joker at a funfair?" asked Ivy. "Isn't that exactly the Joker's kind of place?"

"Nah, I did ask him if we could go, but he said it had no class," she said. "But what do I know..."

Ivy looked at her quizzically. "You know a lot Harl. You might not put your talents to the best use as the Joker's lackey, but you certainly have no shortage of brains."

Harley looked intently at her fast disappearing glass of wine, contemplating the sting behind Ivy's words. She wished her friend could see her Puddin' on a good day. Then maybe she'd understand why she couldn't ever forget about him.

"Well I thought it would be fun, anyway," said Harley. "We can do whatever you want."

Ivy took a sip of wine. What she really wanted was off the table, but she was determined to cheer Harley up before she went back to the Joker. "If it means that much to you, we'll go." She smiled weakly. The beginnings of a plan were forming in her mind.

Everything about Harley's face lit up, from her sparkling eyes to her full, grinning lips. "Yay yay yay! You won't regret it. We'll have so much fun!"

She refilled her glass. "I always have so much fun with you."

"Me too," said Ivy, a faint, sad smile on her lips. _Until you inevitably go crawling back to your precious Puddin'. _She blinked slowly and pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. _Just enjoy being with her while you can._ But waiting for the heartache was never easy. It got harder every time.

"We make a great team," said Harley.

"Well, you can stay here as long as you like. You know that." Ivy took another small sip of wine.

Harley nodded, and drained her glass.

Ivy raised her eyebrows and looked at the nearly empty bottle on the table. "There's more if you want it."

"Thanks, Red," said Harley, tipping the rest of the wine into her glass. She looked a little tipsy, but who was Ivy to judge after the night she'd had?

Ivy watched her friend sloppily drink another gulp, angry bruises visible under the smudged make up. She resolved to get revenge on the Joker somehow. It wasn't that this particular incident had been worse than all the rest that made her so angry, rather the unremarkableness of it, the heart-breaking regularity of having to pick up the Joker's pieces. Harley deserved so much better. She went to get the next bottle from the fridge.

After a brief struggle with the corkscrew and a loud pop, Ivy put the bottle on the table, drained her own glass and poured another for herself.

Harley giggled. "Wow, I've never seen ya drink like that, Red. Somethin' the matter?"

"Nothing. I'm just playing catch up," she lied.

"Maybe after the funfair tomorrow we should hit the bar," said Harley. "Remember that time we got kicked out after you punched that guy in the face? Heh. Always protectin' me."

"Yeah, well. He wasn't much of a charmer," said Ivy. "I don't like particularly like bars or the people in them... but if you really want to, we'll go. Whatever makes you happy."

"Thanks, Red. You put up with so much for me." Harley bit her lip. "I really appreciate it, ya know."

"I'd do anything for you," said Ivy. If only her friend could know how much she meant that.

Harley smiled. Wine flowed. It wasn't long before the second bottle of wine was empty, and Harley was sloshed. She was leaning forward, one elbow on the table, her hand propping up her head as she chattered incoherently. Ivy smiled.

"I think it might be bed time, Harl – if you want to go out tomorrow, anyway."

Harley stood up, but stumbled sideways. Ivy quickly stood up to catch her. Putting her arm around Harley's waist and wrapping Harley's arm around her neck, she held her up. "Come on – bed!"

"Always protectin' me, Red," Harley mumbled, and turned to kiss her friend on the cheek, but her aim was off and the kiss landed closer to Ivy's lips. Ivy felt herself blush, and her body was aching to kiss Harley back, kiss her properly, but she turned her head away.

"Let's get you to bed. I didn't realise you were so trashed," said Ivy.

"I'm sorry, Red. I just... I just love ya is all. You're the only one who really cares for me – apart from Mistah J, that is."

Ivy carried Harley over to the bed and laid her down. She turned to the drawers and passed her some pyjamas. "Here. You should get changed out of that costume."

Harley mumbled something, her eyes closed, and wriggled under the duvet, snoring softly. Ivy shrugged, changed into her own pyjamas and curled up next to her.


	2. Chapter 2

The sky was already beginning to turn golden as the sun set over Gotham city by the time that Harley and Ivy made it to the funfair. Ivy had been up since early in the morning, energised by the sun's light, but she had had little success trying to get Harley out of bed so she'd left her to get some rest.

Harley was skipping towards the colourful, flashing lights, endlessly energetic after a good night's sleep. Ivy was struggling to keep up with her, smiling as she called, "Come on, Red! Whatcha waitin' for?"

Ivy hurried towards her. There was a Helter Skelter towering to one side, and a glowing Ferris wheel to the other. There was an overpowering smell of burgers mixed with doughnuts, toffee and candyfloss, and the air was thick with delighted screams.

"What do you want to do first?" asked Ivy. Harley twirled around happily, feeling at home amongst all of the garish, twinkling lights. There were even others walking around in costume, so if either of the women stood out as different, for once it was Ivy.

"Can we get candy floss?" asked Harley, grinning like a child.

"Sure," said Ivy, eyeing a group of clowns suspiciously. She wondered if the Joker had lied to Harley about his plans. It certainly wouldn't be the first time. Or perhaps Harley had lied to her... Her worries were interrupted by Harley bounding towards her, a fluffy stick of candy floss in each hand and mischievous spark in her eyes.

Ivy stared at her in confusion. "Well, that was quick. Where did you get those?"

A couple of young men came running.

"Hey! Hey, lady!" shouted one of them.

"That's ours!"

Harley giggled. "Oops."

Ivy smiled. "Trust you, Harl."

Harley stuck out her tongue. "Ya snooze, ya lose!"

The largest, a muscular young man who couldn't have been more than twenty, squared up to Harley. "If you're looking to fight, I wouldn't hesitate to punch a freak like you," he hissed.

Harley passed the candy floss to a bemused Ivy, and stood in front of the guy in an exaggerated boxing stance, jabbing the air mockingly. "You wanna fight? You got yourself a fight, buddy!"

He looked at her, narrowed his eyes and swung a cumbersome blow at her. She cartwheeled out of the way, stuck her tongue out and giggled. "Strrrike one!"

Enraged, he tried again, and this time Harley escaped via a backward flip.

"Strrrike two!" She tutted. "You're gonna have to do better than that, I'm afraid."

Harley was having way too much fun, but Ivy was increasingly aware that they had an audience. So much for laying low. They'd barely been out of the house an hour and Harley was already causing trouble.

This time, both young men went for Harley; she dodged their punches before coming back with some hard blows of her own. "Strrrike three!" She giggled, and then her face suddenly went serious. "You're out."

"So... Are you finished now?" asked Ivy, her eyebrows raised at the unconscious men in front of them.

"Uh-huh," said Harley, taking a stick of candy floss back from Ivy and blissfully taking a bite. "Sorry, Red. I just couldn't resist."

"Just try not to draw any more attention to us, okay?"

The two women strolled through the busy fairground, Ivy looking forward to getting home, Harley looking over the whizzing, spinning, flashing rides wondering what she should go on first. She had soon demolished her own candy floss, and Ivy gave her the rest of hers. She didn't like candy floss that much anyway.

"That one!" exclaimed Harley suddenly, pointing at the big dipper in front of her. "Let's ride that one!"

"Come on then, looks like there isn't a queue," said Ivy. Harley grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the ticket box.

"Two to ride, please," said Ivy, quickly handing over a couple of dollars before her friend could try anything to get a free ride.

They climbed into a small carriage and pulled down what felt like rather a loose safety bar. Soon, they were clunking and rattling up to the top. Harley was looking forward, smiling in anticipation. Ivy looked out across the fairground; she could see everything. She saw a familiar purple suit near the funhouse and her heart sank. She did a double take, but he seemed to have vanished. Ivy hoped it was some other creep in a purple suit and not the Joker. She held onto her red handbag tightly as the rollercoaster turned the corner and began to slide down the track.

Harley whooped and squealed in delight as they went down, up, down, up... Ivy sat by her, smiling weakly as the contents of her stomach swirled around unpleasantly. The carriage juddered to a halt and Harley turned to her friend and said, "You're not lookin' too good Red. You look kinda green, even for you."

"I'm fine," said Ivy as they left the ride. "Where should we go next?" She hoped she could divert Harley away from the funhouse, but in case she couldn't... She curled her hand around the cold metal in her handbag.

The next thing Harley dragged her to was some flashing, spinning, stomach-churning nightmare of a ride. When it finally stopped, neither of the women could walk straight and Harley had to catch Ivy by the arm to stop her from falling over. Before Ivy's head had fully stopped spinning, Harley had bounded away towards the funhouse.

Ivy swore and ran towards her. "Hey, Harl, how about the bumper cars? Or we could play some of the games and see if we can win a prize?"

"How's about we check out the funhouse first?" she said, waiting for Ivy with a smile.

"I don't know..." said Ivy, unable to think of a convincing reason not to.

"You're not scared, are ya?" she teased. "C'mon, it'll be fun!"

She took Ivy's hand and pulled her along to the entrance. The clown in the ticket box waved them through to the entrance as Ivy tossed some coins his way. The room they walked into consisted of a cylindrical tunnel which was divided into five sections, rotating clockwise and anticlockwise, all at different speeds.

"Aw, this is no fun," said Harley, climbing into the tunnel after Ivy. "This old thing is moving so slowly, there's no challenge in it."

Just then, they heard a door banging behind them, and maniacal laughter echoed through the room. The tunnel started spinning so quickly that both women fell down and couldn't stand up again. Harley screamed.

"What's goin' on?" she shouted, just before her head made sharp contact with the tunnel. The laughter continued. "Mistah J? Is that you?"

A gas cannister dropped from the ceiling and the room began to fill with sweet smelling gas. Recognising the toxin, Ivy reached into her bag and tossed Harley an antidote.

"Quick, Harl – drink that before you fall asleep!"

Harley forced herself to stay focused as she grasped for the vial. It was no small task trying to catch it as she was thrown around. Her fingers managed to clasp it just as she felt her eyes closing, and she squeezed a drop of the bitter liquid onto her tongue.

Ivy struggled to get to the end of the tunnel, where she could see a shadow looming behind the smoke, but it was no good. The tunnel was moving too quickly and every time she thought she could take a step or two she was smashed against the tunnel again. She pulled a glass vial out of her bag and threw it towards the end of the tunnel. She heard it smash, and the laughter turned to coughs.

"What's this?" came the voice of the Joker. A short silence as he worked it out. "Ah, it's you Pammie. What a surprise." His displeasure was more than evident in his flat voice.

"Mistah – oof!" Harley hit her head again before she could even finish saying his name.

Ivy forced herself down the last section of the tunnel and rolled out. She pulled out her gun and pointed it at the Joker's head.

"Stop the ride," she said.

"Pammie, Pammie – let's not do anything hasty here. Put the gun down, that's a good little weed." The Joker held his hands up as though ready to surrender, but his smirk said that he wasn't to be trusted.

"Stop the ride," she repeated.

"Oh, fine, fine," he pouted. He waved his hand, presumably to someone in the control room, and the tunnel slowed down to a halt. Harley dragged herself up from the floor, but when she looked up she gasped.

"What are you doin' with my Puddin'?" she shouted.

"Don't move, Harley," said Ivy. "Come any closer and I pull the trigger."

Harley looked at her friend for a moment, before turning and storming off, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She kicked open the door that had been closed behind them, knocked out the Joker's goons with a couple of well-aimed punches and didn't look back.

The Joker grinned at Ivy. "Oh dear, Pammie – your little plan didn't work, did it? Harley'll never talk to you again." His cold laughter went right through Ivy. "Are you going to hurry up and try to shoot me then? I don't have all day, you know."

Ivy shook her head. "You've inhaled the toxin. My work is done."

"The toxin?" he asked, his voice a little high-pitched.

"It's something I made specially for you," said Ivy, a satisfied smile growing on her lips. "Don't worry, _Puddin'_ – it won't kill you."

Ivy left the Joker to ponder this as she ran out of the funhouse, through the crowded fairground and back towards her hideout.


	3. Chapter 3

It was late and Ivy was restless. She was pacing up and down in her greenhouse, talking to her plants, pouring her heart out to the flowers, leaves and vines around her. At least they couldn't run away or hurt her.

She tried to tell herself that Harley's a big girl, that she can look after herself, but she couldn't stop thinking about the Joker. He had already tried to get her back against her will in the funhouse and she was sure that he wouldn't give up until he had her back. Still, she was pleased that she had managed to get him with the toxin she had synthesised while Harley had been asleep. If he as much as laid a finger on his girlfriend, he'd be very sorry indeed.

"Even if she never talks to me again... At least he won't be able to hurt her," said Ivy sadly.

* * *

Harley sat on a tall stool at the bar, stirring her cocktail with a tearful sigh. The dirty dive bar was crowded, with people dancing all around her to loud, bland music. She thought coming out might cheer her up, as well as delaying the decision of where to sleep that night, but it had only made her feel worse. She was supposed to be here with Ivy and she couldn't stop the tears rolling down her cheeks. Of all the people in the world, Ivy had been one of the few she knew she could rely on. She didn't understand how she could have betrayed her so badly. Sure, she and the Joker were not exactly on good terms, but when did things escalate to the point where she wanted to hold a gun to his head? Harley wondered what had happened after she ran away. She hadn't heard any gunshots, and she was sure that by now she would have heard something if Ivy had hurt the Joker... But still, this was all so confusing.

She wasn't very happy with the Joker either. She had been ready to forgive him, _wanted_ to forgive him, but the incident in the funhouse had frightened her. Normally he waited for her to come back of her own accord, but this time it seemed he had planned to take her back whether she wanted to come or not. She had bashed her head so hard on the tunnel, she was a little concussed. If he cared about her so much, why did he keep hurting her?

"No, he _does_ care about me," she said aloud to herself, her voice shaking. A man waiting next to her to buy a drink turned around and stared at her, but she didn't notice. She just stared into her drink.

She had barely noticed that people were starting to trickle out of the bar, until the bartender said, "Come on lady, drink up. We're closing soon."

She downed the rest of her drink and slid off the stool, wondering where she should go next. The combination of the alcohol and the concussion made her feel rather wobbly on her feet. As she staggered towards the door, she was overcome by a sense of fear. She didn't really want to be alone tonight, but she wasn't sure whether she felt like being around Poison Ivy or the Joker.

The air was fresh and cold, with a gentle breeze blowing through the streets. She looked around, wondering which direction might lead her to safety. She didn't know, so she simply began walking and hoped for the best. She turned a corner, and then stopped, listening hard. There were faint footsteps behind her. She turned around quickly, and stood about ten metres down the road was the Joker, his face lit up eerily by the street light.

"Come on, Harley," he said, his voice low and sinister. "You've played your game. You've had your fun. Now it's time to come back."

"M-mistah J," she said, shivering. "I ain't playing no games. You're the one who kicked me out."

He began to walk towards her. "Oh, don't be silly. You know I didn't mean that." He laughed. "I wouldn't know what to do without you." He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her face to soften, for her to run towards him, arms wide.

"You really hurt me, ya know." She pointed at her eyebrow. "I'm gonna have a scar here."

The Joker was just in front of her now. He stroked her face. "I told you, Harley. I'm very sorry – and I truly mean it – so how about you just come home and I'll make it up to you." He was getting impatient. He wasn't used to not getting what he wanted.

"Aw, well... Okay Puddin'," said Harley. "If you're really sorry."

"Yes, yes, come on then," he said. "The car's just round the corner. Looks like I'd better drive." He looked her up and down in derision, but she didn't notice. She just felt glad that her Mistah J was safe and she was with him again.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been just over a fortnight since Ivy had heard from Harley. It had been one of the longest fortnights of her life, and she wasn't doing well. She felt as if she was losing her mind; she had even tried to synthesise something to make herself feel better from her plants. Still, two weeks on, the only thing she could think about was Harley, and she played what had happened over and over again in her mind. Could she have done anything different? Did she even regret what she had done?

She was just about to go to bed when there was a knock at the door. Suspiciously, she went to answer it.

"Hey, Red," said Harley flatly. Ivy's heart stopped for a moment, touched that she still saw fit to call her Red.

"What are you doing here?" asked Ivy. "Is everything okay?"

Harley was silent. She bit her lip. "Well... Kinda. Maybe."

"Do you want to come in? I was just about to go to bed, but you're welcome to come in if you need to talk about anything."

Harley nodded. "Thanks."

They sat at the dining table facing one another. Ivy looked at her friend and waited for her to talk.

"You did somethin' to Mistah J, didn't you?" asked Harley.

"What makes you say that?" asked Ivy.

"This is probably gonna sound a bit strange, but... Well, we were runnin' away from Batman and I was supposed to be drivin' the getaway car, but as usual I messed up and I couldn't find the key. Turned out I'd dropped it while we were robbin' the museum – but anyway, long story short, Mistah J wasn't best pleased. When we got back he yelled at me and tried to hit me. The weird thing is, when he hit me I didn't feel anythin'. I wondered what the hell had happened, and then I saw him fall over, as though he had been knocked back by somethin'. That made him even more mad, so he got up and shoved me so hard against the door I thought I was gonna break. But again... nothin'. It was him who ended up on the floor, hurtin' and strugglin' to breathe."

Harley studied her friend to see how she would react. Ivy couldn't help but smile.

"It worked perfectly then," said Ivy.

"Whaddaya mean, Red?" Her eyes were wide with confusion.

"I created a toxin while you were sleeping, before we went to the fairground," said Ivy. "I wasn't expecting to see the Joker there, but I wanted to be prepared anyway. I knew that you'd go back to him. You always do... But I wanted to do something. Instead of sitting back and watching my friend get hurt over and over again, but being powerless to stop it, I had to act. So I developed a toxin from my plants which would transfer any pain he tried to inflict on you to him, to see how he likes being beaten up." She was almost shaking with anger.

"It's not your place to come between me and Mistah J," said Harley angrily. Her face softened. "But I understand... You were tryin' to look out for me, just like ya always do."

There was an apology on the tip of Ivy's tongue, but she swallowed it. She wasn't sorry at all. "How is the Joker?" she asked.

"He could be worse, I guess," said Harley with a sniff. "It was weird seein' him there, all bruised and hurt. I just kept thinkin'... That coulda been me. Well, it _woulda _been me if it hadn't been for your toxin."

Ivy sighed. "So what are you going to do?"

Harley shrugged. "I dunno. It kinda made me think, ya know? About you and Mistah J..."

"Made you think what?" Ivy's heart was beating hard.

"Maybe... Maybe you were right all along," said Harley. "Maybe I do deserve better. I mean, how many times have I ended up here all battered and bruised?"

"I've lost count," said Ivy. Harley looked in serious danger of bursting into tears. "You're always welcome to stay here until you work things out."

Harley tried to smile. "I thought I'd be able to rely on you. Even though I was pretty angry at you after the funfair, I couldn't stay angry for long. You've always been so good to me."

"That's because I care about and respect you, Harl," said Ivy. "How about we turn in for the night, and we can talk more tomorrow? You look tired."

"One more thing, Red, before we go to bed," said Harley. "I have to warn you that Mistah... The Joker knows that this was your doing. He might try to come after you."

"Oh, I expected that much," said Ivy. "Don't worry. I'll be prepared."

"Okay," said Harley with a smile.

She got up and went to the bathroom and was pleased to find that her toothbrush was still on the sink, as though she had never left. Meanwhile Ivy fetched her pyjamas from the bedroom and left them outside the door, before slipping under the comfortable covers. Feeling clean and fresh after brushing her teeth and getting changed, Harley climbed into bed next to Ivy.

"I feel so safe here with you, Red," she sighed happily.

"I'm glad," said Ivy sleepily, closing her eyes. She felt Harley's arm reach out and wrap itself around her and she opened her eyes again in surprise. Harley grinned, leant forward and kissed the tip of Ivy's nose.

"What are you...?" she began to ask, but before she could finish she found Harley's lips and she was quickly sucked into her warm embrace. Harley rolled on top of her, showering her cheeks, her lips, her neck in light kisses and Ivy could only look on in wonder. She wondered if she was dreaming, but the gentle sucking and nibbling on her neck, her chest, her nipples told her otherwise. She had never felt so awake and alive.

As Harley's mouth moved back up to Ivy's lips, her hand moved down over her waist, lightly tickling her hips and thighs and ended up between her legs, gently stroking until her fingers found just the right spot. Ivy kissed her urgently and whispered, "Please don't stop." It wasn't long before she was trembling and writhing with the intense pleasure of her orgasm.

"I love you, Harley," she said as she lay back, waiting for her heart to slow down. Harley smiled and kissed her again, and Ivy gently rolled her over so that she was on top.

"Now it's your turn," she said with a mischievous smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Ivy awoke early, in high spirits. After seeing to the plants, she decided to make blueberry pancakes for Harley's breakfast as a surprise. She could still hardly believe what had happened the night before. Her knees felt weak just thinking about it.

Breakfast didn't take long to cook. After piling up a few pancakes on two plates and drizzling them with maple syrup she put them on a tray with some cutlery and walked happily into the bedroom, where Harley was beginning to stir.

"Good morning Harl. I made you breakfast," she said with a smile.

Harley stretched with a wide yawn and sat up. "Wow, thanks Red," she said, her eyes lighting up. The little things made her happy. Ivy handed her a plate and then slid under the covers next to her so they could eat breakfast in bed together.

"What do you want to do today?" asked Ivy.

Harley shrugged. "It's too early to be thinkin' about that." She yawned again, before stuffing a large forkful of sticky pancake into her mouth.

"I thought you might like to take a day off and just relax," said Ivy. "You seem like you need to clear your head."

"You're not wrong," she said with a sigh. "There are so many things spinnin' around in my head, feels like it's gonna explode."

Ivy was silent. There were a lot of things she wanted to say but she didn't want to give her friend any more grief. She just sat and nibbled on her pancakes.

"I've sure missed your cookin', Red," said Harley as she finished mopping up the syrup with her last bite of pancake. "You'll have to teach me someday."

Ivy smiled. "All right. Tomorrow it's your turn to make breakfast."

Harley looked at her uncertainly. "Half cooked eggs and burned toast it is then."

Ivy laughed. "Stop putting yourself down. I'm sure it'll be great. I can't wait."

Harley was quiet, a troubled expression on her face.

"What's up?" asked Ivy tentatively.

Harley continued staring at her empty plate. She sighed. "You ain't gonna like this, Red, but I'm just thinkin' about Mistah J... I feel bad for leavin' him like this."

It was all Ivy could do not to roll her eyes in frustration. "He tried to hurt you – _again –_ Harley. Don't you think you're better than this?"

Harley fiddled nervously with her tousled blonde hair. "I miss him. I just wanna know if he's okay."

"Would he do the same for you?" asked Ivy.

"Look, he cares about me, okay?" said Harley. She was getting agitated. "I know you don't like him, but if you'd seen him at his best... Well he treats me right most of the time."

"Until you don't do exactly as he wants, and then he takes his failure out on you," said Ivy. Her voice was sharper than she had intended, and Harley's face dropped. "I'm sorry, Harl – I know this isn't helping. I just can't stand to see what he does to you."

"When we first met, you told me I needed some 'good old-fashioned female self esteem' – well I got plenty of self-esteem, but there's somethin' about Mistah J. I can't help but love him."

The conversation was going in the exact opposite direction that Ivy wanted it to go, and she felt the familiar sinking feeling that told her Harley wouldn't be here to make breakfast tomorrow.

"Maybe – maybe part of me knows it ain't right the way Mistah J gets mad at me," she continued, unable to meet her friend's eye. "But I don't think I can leave. Not now, maybe not ever."

Ivy put her hand over her friend's and held it tight. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sure you think I'm a doormat, or whatever..." Harley sniffed.

"I may have said some harsh things in the past, but I understand now – there's more to it than just walking away. If you do want to walk away... Well, you know that I'll always be here. I... I love you Harley. I want you to be happy, and if that means you stay with the Joker I'll just have to accept that and be here for when you need me. If you want me to... I'll give you the antidote to the toxin." It was Ivy's turn to cry. In all the time that she'd known her, Harley couldn't remember seeing her friend look so sad.

"You're the best, Red," said Harley, and she kissed the tears away from her cheeks. "Maybe it's not the right time to say this... But last night was wonderful."

Ivy couldn't help but smile through her tears. "It was perfect," she whispered, and she felt Harley's soft lips on hers.

Ivy pulled away. "Won't the Joker be unhappy about this?"

Harley shrugged. "What he don't know can't hurt him, I guess."

"You're not going to tell him?"

"Nah, I don't wanna give him any more reason to come after you, Red," she said with a grin, but then her smile faded. "We should probably stop though."

"Yes. Sure," said Ivy, unable to hide her bitter disappointment.

Harley tilted her head to one side as she studied her friend. "I'm sorry, Ivy. If things were different..."

"I understand," said Ivy. "I – I should take a shower."

She rushed to the bathroom and turned on the warm shower before any more tears could escape down her face. Standing under the running water, she thought about everything that had happened. She was glad to have Harley back as a friend, but it was bittersweet; she wanted so much more. She wondered how much longer she would be able to cope with seeing Harley and the Joker together – that is, if he didn't end up killing her. Every time she came banging on the door in the middle of the night, black, blue and bleeding, Ivy wondered if there would be a next time. That poor woman's body had taken a lot – if the Joker could knock her out of a window, what more was he capable of? It didn't bear thinking about.

After what seemed like a very long time, she turned off the water and wrapped herself in a towel. She opened the door and called to Harley that the bathroom was free. She put on her clothes and went to her greenhouse to prepare the antidote for Harley. She was tempted to poison it, but she knew that Harley would never forgive her if she did. Part of her brain seemed determined to come up with ways to get the Joker out of the picture, but in her heart she knew that the best thing – the only thing – she could do for Harley was to support her. As much as she wanted to save Harley from the Joker, she knew now that Harley had to save herself – and if she ever did, Ivy would be waiting for her.


	6. Epilogue

A clock chimed two somewhere in the distance, and Ivy sat up in bed with a sigh. She looked fondly at the woman beside her, curled up with a teddy bear, fast asleep. She was glad to see Harley sleeping so peacefully, but she still couldn't shake the intense sadness that had left her lying awake every night over the past few months. She carefully tucked the duvet around Harley's shoulders and left a light kiss on her cheek, before slipping out of bed.

The night was chilly. Ivy shivered as she made her way towards the kitchen to get a glass of water. She let out an involuntary gasp as her bare feet made contact with the cold tiles on the kitchen floor. Through her heavy eyes and aching head, she watched the sparkling moonlit water rush out of the tap and swirl around her glass, before dragging herself to the sofa to slowly sip at it, contemplating a late night walk.

Late night walks had become something of a habit for her lately. The fresh night air gave her something of a break from the darkness in her mind, which had been threatening to take over ever since the day that Harley moved in.

How many times had Ivy allowed herself to hope that her friend would finally see sense and leave the Joker for good? How many times had she wished that Harley would stay with her and be her partner in both crime and love? _Too many,_ she thought as the knot in her stomach tightened. Every minute Harley had spent with that psychopathic clown had broken her just a little bit more inside, and it was only now that they were together as lovers that Ivy could see the true extent of the mark he had left inside her.

Harley had never been what most people would consider "sane" - she had been wonderfully loopy for as long as Ivy had known her, and she adored her for it. She loved her childlike wonder and energy, her exaggerated expressions, her ridiculous schemes and ideas... But these days she was just _wild_. Her behaviour was erratic, often terrifyingly so, and Ivy knew that hidden beneath the layers of bizarre obsessions and carefree insanity was a terrified and hurting young woman. A terrified and hurting young woman that Ivy just _couldn't reach_.

Ivy drained the last sip of water and let out a frustrated moan. All she wanted was to curl up and sleep as peacefully as...

Her eyes widened at the sound of thrashing and crying from the bedroom. She leapt up and hurried into the bedroom, where Harley was sitting upright in bed, wiping tears from her cheeks.

"Harl?"

A deep breath rushed out of Harley's slightly parted lips and she looked up.

"Oh... It's only you, Red. I just – it was a bad dream."

Ivy could just make out Harley twisting a stray strand of hair around her finger through the darkness. She turned on the lamp on the bedside table before positioning herself on top of the covers, next to her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked gently. She reached out to stroke Harley's arm, but froze as the other woman involuntarily flinched.

Harley sniffed, rubbed her eyes and then looked at the hand hovering in front of her. She slowly closed her fingers around Ivy's, feeling a little sick and ashamed.

"Sorry," she whispered. "Guess the dream's still fresh in my mind."

"Don't be sorry," said Ivy, slightly too forcefully as a familiar anger tore through the pit of her stomach. She hesitated, looking into the beautiful, sad blue eyes beside her. "I'm worried about you, Harley."

There was a long silence as the sleepy blonde wondered how to respond. Her first instinct was to deny everything, but a quiet voice somewhere deep in her subconscious was trying to make itself heard. _Has denying __your feelings ever__ helped you yet?_ As much as she didn't want to, Harley was forced to admit to herself that clamming up and hiding her feelings from everyone, even the person she was closest to, had done nothing to help her; if anything, the exhaustion that tended to come hand in hand with putting on so many faces was dragging her down even more.

"I know," she said slowly. "I – I just haven't been myself recently. Whatever 'bein' myself' is even supposed to mean. I'm not even sure what 'myself' is meant to feel like."

Ivy's eyebrows furrowed as she watched her lover's lip tremble. Harley blinked rapidly to hide her watering eyes and tried to twist her lips into something resembling a smile. She let out a strangled giggle before dissolving into a shaking heap of messy hair and tears.

Ivy put her hand gingerly on her back, hoping to soothe her. Harley's wails were more than she could take. She threw her arms around the sobbing mess of a woman in front of her.

"Harley, listen to me," she said fiercely. "You are a strong woman. A really strong and beautiful person. Hell, you're the only human being I don't think is a fucking waste of oxygen. You can be whatever – whoever – you want to be, and I am here to support you. Do you understand?"

Harley extricated herself from Ivy's tight embrace and nodded, her heart melting in the radiant warmth of Ivy's love.

"Thanks, Red." She broke into the most genuine smile Ivy had seen for a long time. She gave a hollow chuckle. "Funny thing is, I'd kinda forgotten what it's like when someone really loves and cares for me. Even when you're not, y'know, pickin' up my pieces, you make me feel like I'm really worth somethin'. It's nice."

Ivy didn't know what to say, so she cuddled her close.

"You _are_ worth something, Harley – more than 'something'! You're everything to me."

A girlish giggle escaped Harley's mouth.

"Oh, c'mon, Red! You're makin' me blush an' eveythin'."

"I mean it, Harl." She hesitated. "I... I know that you're hurting at the moment, and I know that you need time to heal, okay? That... _clown_ was fucking horrible to you."

Harley didn't want to meet Ivy's eyes.

"Yeah. Yeah he was."

Ivy stroked the other woman's wet cheek, and Harley turned to face her.

"But y'know what, Red? When I'm with you... I start to feel like I'm gonna be okay."

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for the encouraging reviews! I originally intended to leave the ending of this story fairly open, because as nice as a happy ending might be, there are too many people in the real world who never get their happy ending. However... This story got a couple of follows and reviews asking what happens next, and I felt a bit like writing something kind of bittersweet, so I wrote one more chapter.


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